Shastasaurus

November 15, 2024 Post a Comment

Shastasaurus

When Did the Shastasaurus become Extinct? The Shastasaurus lived between 235 and 205 million years ago and was thought to go extinct towards the end of that period. However we have found relatively few fossils, as ichthyosaur fossils are are to discover, so it may have survived longer.

What did the Shastasaurus eat?

Due to its unusually short, toothless snout (compared to the long, toothed, dolphin-like snouts of most ichthyosaurs) it was proposed that Shastasaurus was a suction feeder, feeding primarily on soft-bodied cephalopods, although current research indicates ichthyosaur jaws do not fit the suction-feeding profile.

Is the Shastasaurus still alive?

Shastasaurus is an extinct genus of marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic. It belongs to a group of fish-like reptiles known as ichthyosaurs, a dominant group of marine reptiles during the Mesozoic Era.

What was the largest marine reptile?

Based on total length, the largest marine reptiles ever to live on Earth were the shastasaurid (family Shastasauridiae) marine reptiles, a family of Triassic ichthyosaurs that ranged from 6 m (19 ft) to in excess of 20 m (66 ft) long.

Which is bigger mosasaurus or ichthyosaurus?

Mosasaurs (98–66 million years ago) are giant marine lizards that could reach 15 m in body length, whereas ichthyosaurs (250–94 million years ago) could become even larger. Both ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs died out during the Cretaceous Period, but leatherback turtles are still around today.

Was Shastasaurus bigger than blue whale?

Some Scientists have suggested the upper size estimates of the Shastasaurus discovered in 2018 at 26 meters (85 ft) and 120,000 lbs. could challenge the blue whale with an average length of 85 ft and weight of 330,000 lbs. as the largest animal to ever have lived.

What was the largest mosasaur?

The largest mosasaur Mosasaurus hoffmannii was the apex predator of the Late Cretaceous oceans, reaching more than 11 metres (36 ft) in length and weighing up to 10 metric tons (11 short tons) in body mass.

Why did ichthyosaurs have big eyes?

Many species of extinct marine ichthyosaurs had much larger eyes for their body size than would be expected of extant marine mammals and reptiles. Sensitivity to low light at great depth for the deep-diving genus Ophthalmosaurus has recently been suggested as the reason for the large eyes of these animals.

What killed the ichthyosaur?

Ichthyosaurs diversity declined due to environmental volatility caused by climatic upheavals in the early Late Cretaceous, becoming extinct around the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary approximately 90 million years ago.

What was the largest ichthyosaur?

The largest known ichthyosaur is the Shastasaurus sikanniensis — a whale-like creature that measured up to 69 feet (21 m) long, and possibly longer. For comparison, modern blue whales generally measure between 80 and 100 feet (24 and 30 m) long, while the carnivore king T.

What is the biggest extinct sea animal ichthyosaurs?

The animal, which they named Cymbospondylus youngorum, was probably 17.5 metres long. It lived 246 million years ago, a mere 6 million years after the Permian-Triassic extinction, and only 2 million years after the proto-ichthyosaurs.

Are ichthyosaurs friendly?

Behavior. Ichthyosaurs are a very friendly species to most creatures, and will often swim towards you and around you out of curiosity.

What is the biggest predator ever?

In addition to being the world's largest fish, megalodon may have been the largest marine predator that has ever lived. (Basilosaurids and pliosaurs may have been just as large.) Megalodon was an apex predator, or top carnivore, in the marine environments it inhabited (see also keystone species).

What is the largest predator ever?

The title of largest land predator that ever walked on Earth goes to the Spinosaurus. This meat-eating dinosaur lived about 90-100 million years ago. It was about 60 feet long, 12 feet high, weighed at least 13 to 22 tons and had a skull roughly 6 feet long.

What's the largest creature to ever exist?

Share: Far bigger than any dinosaur, the blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever lived.

Who would win titanoboa vs megalodon?

Megalodon would win a fight against Titanoboa. The monster snake is a one-trick pony, and that trick isn't any good against a massive shark. Even if it managed to wrap about the shark, it's much too small to kill it. Megalodon was about 9 feet across and weighed 100,000lbs.

Was Trex bigger than Mosasaurus?

Prognathodon has been estimated to reach lengths in excess of 33 feet, and the biggest Mosasaurus species got to be even larger—around 59 feet, or nearly 20 feet longer than the biggest T. rex.

Can a megalodon beat a Mosasaurus?

While a similar length, the Megalodon had a much more robust body and huge jaws built for devouring whales and other large marine mammals. A Mosasaurus would not have been able to get its jaws around the much thicker body of the Megalodon. It would just take one catastrophic bite for the Megalodon to end the battle.

What is the strongest prehistoric animal?

Tyrannosaurus Rex was undoubtedly among the most lethal predators to have ever existed. Although no longer considered the largest meat-eating dinosaur, it is still regarded as the strongest animal in many ways. It could bite with a force ranging from 9 to over 23 tonnes.